Rye committee told Select Board ordinance on beach parking is enforceable but will go to Town Meeting after engineering study

Co-Chair Coleen Penacho told the Rye Beach Committee on June 1 that the Select Board has approved a new beach parking ordinance and that an engineering firm’s study recommends removing certain parking spaces near intersections for safety.

The recommendation matters because the Select Board’s ordinance is already enforceable, Penacho said, but the board intends to present the change at the next Town Meeting to make it permanent. Penacho said she has asked the Select Board for more information about the specific spaces recommended for removal and will send the proposed ordinance to the Beach Committee for review so members can answer public questions.

Committee members heard that the engineering firm has flagged particular parking spots adjacent to intersections as unsafe and recommended eliminating those marked spaces. The meeting record states the ordinance has been approved by the Select Board but will go to Town Meeting for a vote to become a permanent change.

Because the ordinance affects beach access and roadside safety near popular beach areas, the committee asked to be kept informed so members can respond to residents’ questions and provide context once the Select Board completes its study and circulates findings.

The Select Board is expected to finalize the parking study and submit the ordinance for the Town Meeting vote; the Beach Committee will review the ordinance when Penacho circulates it to the members.